King David

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David and Goliath by Caravaggio, c. 1599.

David (c.1005–970 BCE) (Hebrew: דָּוִד, Standard Davíd Tiberian Dāwíð ; Arabic: داوود or داود, Dāwūd ; "beloved") was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel. He is depicted as a righteous king—although not without fault—as well as an acclaimed warrior, musician and poet (he is traditionally credited with the authorship of many of the Psalms). His life and reign, as recorded in the Hebrew Bible's books of Samuel (from I Samuel 16 onwards) and Chronicles, have been of central importance to Jewish and Western culture.

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Are You a Jewish Descendant of King David?

Jewish descent from the Royal House of David can be traced through oral tradition, rabbinic sources, historical data and/or extensive research. Most families claim descent from King David through Rashi. Several families claim descent "ben akhar ben"(father to son) in a direct line, most notably the Dayan, Shealtiel and Charlap/Don Yechia, families.

There have been many great rabbis and rabbinical houses that trace their ancestry back to David Hamelech. This group of great scholars and leaders include: Hillel, Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi, Yochanan Hasandler, Rashi, the Rambam and Yosef Karo as well as the more contemporary gedolim like the Baal Shem Tov, the Breslevor Rebbe and the first Lubavicher Rebbe, Shneur Zalman of Liadi, to name but a few.

Here we will enumerate some of the well-known family names that trace their ancestry back to David Hamelech. Since well over 100 generations have passed between the time of King David to the present, there might be hundreds, even thousands, of family names that can legitimately trace their family line back to David Hamelech. Therefore, the omission of your family name from this list does not exclude you as a possible descendant. On the other hand, the inclusion of your family name on the list below does not necessarily guarantee that you are a descendant of King David. In fact, the well-known line from the Maharal of Prague is now in question. The opening thought of this page bears repeating - It is only through oral tradition, rabbinic sources, historical data and or extensive research that one can determine if he/she is indeed a descendant of David Hamelech.

Here is the partial list of family names that trace their descent back to King David. It is important to note that through the course of years and trails through many countries, variant spellings and pronunciations have evolved for many of the names.

http://www.davidicdynasty.org/

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David and King Saul, by Rembrandt. David plays the lyre (depicted here as a harp) to the king "tormented by an evil spirit"

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David is chosen

God withdraws his favor from King Saul and sends the prophet Samuel to Jesse, "for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." The choice falls upon David, the youngest of Jesse's sons, who is guarding his father's sheep: "He was ruddy, and fine in appearance with handsome features. And the Lord said [to Samuel], 'Anoint him; for this is he.'"


David plays the lyre before Saul

Saul is tormented by an evil spirit. His servants suggest he send for David, "skillful in playing [the lyre], a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence; and the LORD is with him." So David enters Saul's service, and finds favour in his sight, "and whenever the evil spirit was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand; so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him."[2]


David and Goliath

The Israelites under Saul are facing the army of the Philistines. David, the youngest of the sons of Jesse, is asked of his father to bring food to his brothers who are with Saul, and hears the Philistine champion, the giant Goliath, challenge the Israelites to send their own champion to decide the outcome in single combat. David insists to his brothers that he can defeat Goliath; Saul, upon hearing of this, sends for him, and although uncertain, allows him to make the attempt. David is indeed victorious, felling Goliath with a stone from his sling, at which the Philistines flee in terror and the Israelites win a great victory. David brings the head of Goliath to Saul, who asks him whose son he is; David replies, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite".

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Prophet David, by Gentile da Fabriano.

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Saul makes David a commander over his armies and gives him his daughter Michal in marriage. David is successful in many battles, and the Women say, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." David's popularity awakens Saul's fears - "What more can he have but the kingdom?" - and by various stratagems the king seeks David's death. But the plots of the jealous king all proved futile, and only endeared the young hero the more to the people, and especially to Jonathan, Saul's son, one of those who love David. Warned by Jonathan of Saul's enmity, David flees into the wilderness.


David flees to the Judean wilderness, where he gathers a band of heroes and becomes the champion of the oppressed while evading the pursuit of Saul. Accepting Ziklag as a fief from the Philistine king Achish of Gath, he continues to secretly champion the Israelites. Achish marches against Saul, but David is excused from the war on the accusation of the Philistine nobles that his loyalty is divided.


David is made king

Saul and Jonathan are killed in the battle with the Philistines, and David mourns their death.[5] Then David goes up to Hebron, where he is anointed King over Judah, while in the north Saul's son Ish-bosheth is king over Israel.[6] War ensues between Ish-bosheth and David, and Ish-bosheth is assassinated. The assassins bring the head of Ish-bosheth to David hoping for reward, but David executes them for their crime.[7] Yet with the death of the son of Saul the elders of Israel come to Hebron, and David is anointed King of Israel. Upon these events he was 30 years old.


King David

David conquers the Jebusite fortress of Jerusalem and makes it his capital, "and Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house." [9] David brings the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, intending to build a temple.[10] But God, speaking to the prophet Nathan, forbids it, saying the temple must wait for a future generation. But God makes a covenant with David, promising that he will establish the house of David eternally: "Your throne shall be established forever."[11] Then David establishes a mighty empire, conquering Zobah and Aram (modern Syria), Edom and Moab (roughly modern Jordan), the lands of the Philistines, and much more

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David and Bathsheba, by Lucas Cranach, 1526.

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The Psalms of David

David is described as the author of the majority of the Psalms of the Bible. One of the most famous is Psalm 51, traditionally said to have been composed by David after Nathan upbraided him over Bathsheba and Uriah. Perhaps the best-known is Psalm 23:

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."

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The Death of Absalom (engraving from the Doré Bible).

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David, Michelangelo, 1500-1504.

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Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite
 
David and Bathsheba, by Lucas Cranach, 1526.David lies with Bathsheba, "the wife of Uriah the Hittite", and Bathsheba becomes pregnant. David sends for Uriah, who is with the Israelite army at the siege of Rabbah, that he might lie with her and so conceal the identity of the child's father. But Uriah refuses to do so while his companions are in the field of battle. David then sends Uriah back to Joab the commander with a message instructing him to abandon Uriah on the battlefield, "that he may be struck down, and die." And so David marries Bathsheba and she bears his child, "but the thing that David had done displeased the Lord."

The prophet Nathan speaks out against David's sin, saying: "Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife." And although David repents, God kills the child as a punishment. ("And the Lord struck the child ... and it became sick ... [And] On the seventh day the child died.") David then leaves his lamentations, dresses himself, and eats. His servants ask why he lamented when the baby was alive, but leaves off when it is dead, and David replies: "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?' But now he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me."